1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic apparatuses and playback management methods. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic apparatus having a function for managing a playback start position of stream data, and a playback management method for managing a playback start position of stream data.
2. Description of the Related Art
A disc playback apparatus configured to register a bookmark in a moving-image file recorded on a disc and to start playback from the position at which the bookmark is registered has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-280940). Upon operating a marker key during playback of a moving image, the disc playback apparatus registers as a bookmark the address on the disc currently played back. If the marker key is operated when the disc is not being played back, still images at addresses registered as bookmarks are displayed as thumbnail images. When a marker number corresponding to one of the displayed thumbnail images is selected, the disc playback apparatus starts to play back the disc from the address corresponding to the selected marker number.
In the invention disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, information for managing bookmarks is described in a dedicated table. In order to play back a moving image file, both a file managing the moving image file and a table managing bookmarks are accessed.
Further, in the invention disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, registration of a bookmark is achieved by displaying a marker display section serving as a menu screen and performing settings of the bookmark on the marker display section. However, if the menu screen is displayed during playback of moving image data, a moving image being viewed by the user will be interrupted. The above-mentioned publication discloses a technique for registering a bookmark during a playback operation but does not disclose a technique for registering a bookmark during a recording operation.
Further, in the invention disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, a dedicated menu screen for selecting a bookmark is displayed before the bookmark is selected. The menu screen displays only still images of addresses registered as bookmarks, but does not present information indicating which file is associated with each of the bookmarks and from which a file is to be played back.
It is therefore desirable to provide an electronic apparatus capable of registering a playback start position of stream data without interrupting the recording and/or playback of the stream data.
It is further desirable to provide a display control apparatus and method for receiving a selection of a playback start position while providing a user with information regarding playback start positions registered in stream data.